1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shipping unit having cloth shelves loaded with easily damaged articles of manufacture which prevents damage to the articles.
2. Prior Art
Shipping units of the type to which the present invention relates are intended to supplant shipping constructions used in the past for shipping articles of manufacture which are easily damaged. For example, in automotive manufacturing processes, some body panels are frequently manufactured into components at one location, either within an assembly plant or remotely located with respect to an assembly plant, and require shipment from the point of manufacture to the point of assembly. One example of such an article of manufacture is door trim panels. Door trim panels are manufactured as components which are ready for mounting on a car or truck. The surface areas are finished and ready for painting. Consequently, door trim panels must be safeguarded from being scratched, dented or otherwise damaged after they are manufactured and before they are mounted on a vehicle. If a door trim panel is damaged, it must be reworked entailing additional expense.
Previously, objects such as door trim panels have been transported by use of relatively expensive techniques. Cardboard has been used to individually box such items. Obviously, such individual boxing with subsequent opening of the box and disposal of the cardboard material is costly. Other techniques have involved the use of expensive shipping containers having buffered compartments, the buffers being made of rubber or like material which is relatively expensive and space-consuming resulting in higher shipping costs.
In accordance with the present invention, a shipping unit is provided which is easily loaded or unloaded and which uses relatively inexpensive cloth for shelving. The cloth is thin and therefore does not take up very much shipping space. The cloth is relatively inexpensive thus resulting in a low cost construction and low cost replacement of the shelves. This is all accomplished in a rack structure which is easy to move about either by means of a fork lift truck or by manual pushing.